Tuesday, March 25, 2008

Humboldt State University had an overflow crowd for yesterday's budget rally. From the Eureka Reporter:

Approximately 500 faculty, staff, students and community members packed the Kate Buchanan Room at Humboldt State University Monday to rally against state plans to enact a budget that could leave the Arcata campus with a $7.3 million deficit.

They filled the seats, sat on the floor, stood five rows deep in the back of the room and spilled into the hallway to hear a series of speakers implore them to take the budget crisis in Sacramento personally and to take direct action by contacting the governor and state lawmakers.

The same article quoted a legislative staffer as saying local residents had protested park cuts more than CSU cuts:

Connie Stewart, field representative for Assemblymember Patty Berg, D-1st District, emphasized the need for action in support of the CSU.

A month ago, she said, Berg’s office had received one letter about education and the budget.

"But we got 112 to say, 'Please don’t cut state parks.' Nobody’s looking holistically at what’s happening to the state of California."

She said that as of today, residents of a district that covers a third of the state’s coast sent in 33 letters about possible education cuts and 333 about the proposed $12 million cut to state parks.

Chapter President Jerry Saner made the Eureka Times-Standard report:

Jerry Saner, President of Chapter 301 of the California State University Employee Union tried to emulate the spirit of Woodstock by leading the crowd in a chant of "Don't cut the CSU." Saner told the crowd that the governor has mentioned layoffs, which he called unacceptable.

"I can't see any 'acceptable loses,'" Saner said quoting the governor. "I can't accept any losses. One person gone is one person too many."